How a Summer Blockbuster Put the Future of Sharks at Risk

The summer of 1975 was as hot as any other, yet millions of holiday-makers preferred the cinema to the beach, as the world's first blockbuster made a big splash and became a movie monster.

Thirty years ago Steven Spielberg's Jaws, based on the novel by former presidential scriptwriter Peter Benchley, was the highest grossing film of all time and marked a change of attitude in both the film and tourist industries.

The deliberate and innovative strategies used to ensure the film's success, including careful editing, blanket distribution and unprecedented television promotion, left movie moguls admiring the zeros at the end of their pay cheque. But holiday businesses saw a downturn in profits as bathers stayed out of the ocean, in fear of the giant, man-eating shark seen in the horrifying film.

Recount the opening scene, and the chilling bass line of John Williams' soundtrack that accompanied it, and you'll understand the trepidation felt by hundreds of would-be swimmers. But when the spectacle and suspense of the film are sustained with news of real-life shark attacks, the public reaction intensifies. It's a vicious circle that could rival any swirling great white. But it is also completely unfounded.

"Unfortunately, white sharks have been involved in fatal attacks on humans," explains Marie Levine, Executive Director of the Shark Research Institute. "But to put this in perspective, in the USA the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that more than 600 people are killed each year in automobile accidents on July 4th, and that is more than all of the confirmed, unprovoked [shark attack] fatalities recorded worldwide in the past three centuries."

Grant Willis, Aquarist at Sydney Aquarium, puts it more simply, "There were more people killed last year from coconuts falling from trees and hitting people on the head than there were from shark attacks."